The Trouble Is

[kfttjdb]

As you can see, I have created my first fanfic, The Trouble Is. Please read it and review. Thanks!

EDIT: Synopsis/Summary (Well, sort of):
I must warn you all that this story is not based on the Shaman King tournament. The events in the tale are not parallel with the anime or manga. (Basically, it is my drive into La La Land.)It is set years later, where the characters involved are in their early twenties. Ren is the focal point of the story. His stormy "friendship" with Yukihiro has too many ups and downs. When it is tested by something that can literally send them their seperate ways, no one can say for sure what the outcome will be. Ren must figure out for her sake (and especially for his) what The Trouble Is. (I know I suck at summaries, so read it anyway please? *bricked*)

Chapter 1:
Another Fight

What are you doing here? Why are you doing this to yourself? His thoughts raced madly through his mind almost making no sense. Go home, Ren. Now, before anyone sees you. It’s dark enough to sneak away... Wait, I don’t sneak. I’m a man, I’m no coward! His pace back and forth along the stone walk became faster. Suddenly he stopped and looked into the moonlit sky. But what if she sees you? He pondered the question for a few seconds. “I can’t let her see me.” He said aloud.

“Why not?” The soft voice came from somewhere behind him. He jumped, startled and humiliated.

“Who’s there?” He barked. Trees and darkness surrounded him. A mysterious figure appeared from a grouping. “Show yourself now!” He couldn’t control his fear, and it showed as his voice began to crack. A woman emerged from the shadow. As she slowly approached him the folds in her black nightgown flew back with the wind, and most of her face was covered by the long, thick locks of her brown hair. Ren muttered something inaudible to himself.

She moved a few strands of hair away from her face so she could get a better look at him. “The question is what are you doing outside my house especially at this time of night, Ren?” She stood silent and painfully still, waiting for an answer.

Ren stood there, thinking of something to say. “Why are you out here hiding in the trees?” He said harshly. He couldn’t tell her the real reason why he was there. He didn’t know.

“This is my house,” she started. Her pause seemed unintentional, but she continued, “I heard noises out here and I wanted to see who was intruding.” She smiled suddenly.

“What are you smirking at?” Ren didn’t have a good reason for being rude, but he couldn’t control it.

“You’re wearing the black t-shirt I gave you. It looks good.” She came a few steps closer and Ren backed away.

“I wear it to bed. It’s too hideous to wear in the day when everyone can see it,” he said sharply. Her smile quickly faded. The two were silent for a few seconds.

“How cruel,” she said to herself but deliberately loud enough for him to hear. “I guess it really doesn’t matter why you’re here. Just go home.” With that she walked passed him, brushing his arm with her shoulder and opened the large wooden door of her home. At the entrance she paused, as if waiting for Ren to stop her. When she looked at him, he turned to face her.

“What are you waiting for? I’m leaving. Go to bed,” He thought the words came across too harshly, but he couldn’t correct them because as he was making his statement, she slammed the door and quickly locked it. He turned away from the door and looked into the sky again. “Yukihiro I’m sorry,” He whispered.


Chapter 2 up soon! (Please review;_;)

[Mystic]

Yey! First one to review! But isn't this the one you put up the last time? Oh well.....it's still lovely even if I've read it for the second time! Good work and good luck with the rest of the story!

[KuroiInu]

Yay! Renna-chan thought of a title~ ^-^
I've already rambled compliments in PMs and on the first thread... but...
It's great!!!

Hai, Mystic-san, this is what she had posted, but that time she wasn't even sure if she was going to continue. She also didn't know if that would be the first chapter... Eh, Renna-chan can explain. ^-^

[kfttjdb]

Actually, it is similar to the excerpt you read. I promise it's not the same. There have been subtle changes. But no matter, here's chapter 2:

Chapter 2:
He Has a Problem

“Where have you been? It’s late,” Yoh said as he walked through the front door. Yoh was sitting on the floor in front of the television.

“What are you doing up?” Ren asked him callously. He did not want to talk about his evening.

“Anna noticed you weren’t here so she told me to wait up for you. I didn’t think you would take this long to get back. Where did you go?”

“Go to bed, Yoh. It’s none of your business.” Ren headed for the stairs.

“So, you had another fight…with her?” Yoh asked slowly. Ren stopped at the third step. He did not turn around.

“Go to bed. I don’t want to talk about it.” Ren pleaded sadly. Yoh remained silent as he walked up the stairs.

“You’re such an idiot,” Yoh said under his breath when he could no longer see Ren down the hallway. He turned off the television and stretched out his arms to release a loud yawn.

“What happened?” The voice startled him.

“Anna? I thought you were asleep?” Yoh said, relieved when he saw his wife walk into the room.

“I was but Ren woke me up. What happened? Is he okay?”

Yoh’s smile faded. “He had another fight with her.”

“What is wrong with him? Yoh, you should talk to him.”

“What?” Yoh stood up, facing her with pure disgust in his eyes. “Talk to him about what?”

“You’re his friend. Tell him that it’s okay to have female friends in his life. Tell him that Yukihiro is a good girl and we all like her. Tell him to stop screwing this up.” Anna paused for a few seconds.

“You seem to know what to say to him. Maybe you should do it.” Yoh looked at her and hoped she would agree. Anna came closer to him and put her arm around his shoulders.

“Yoh, you know it has to come from you. If I tell him what’s on my mind it will sound like I’m nagging. He has this thing against women and he will turn a deaf ear to anything constructive I have to say. Besides, you’re his comrade. You’re the one he goes to when he needs to talk to someone.” She slid her arm down to his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

“He doesn’t talk to me, Anna. He just comes and goes from the house. He’s gone most of the time. And more importantly, he thinks I’m stupid. I can’t talk to him about this; I don’t know anything about it.”

“Yoh, you’re wrong about this. You know how to make friends. You know how to be nice to people. And, you know how to talk to Ren. If you can’t do it for him, do it for me.” She released him and walked away from the room.


Don't forget to review!

[Sayoky]

*sniff* this is awesome work Renna...it has such intensity in it...while i was reading it i could imagine the actions...i could see Ren fighting with a girl...and Anna resting her head on Yoh's shoulder..everything.....wow...you keep on writing this because you got me addicted to the story...seriously!

[kfttjdb]

Thank you again for reading and commenting. I hate to do this to you, but I must! Here is chapter 3:

Chapter 3:
A Not So Smooth Morning

Yoh tiptoed down the hallway while holding up his orange pajama pants. He was halfway to the end when Anna grabbed his white shirt.

“Don’t be rude, Yoh. Just wake him up.” She released her grip and smiled.

“Of course,” Yoh whispered. He entered Ren’s room and saw that he was fast asleep. Yoh couldn’t see his face because his entire body head to toe was covered with three blankets.

Ren was instantly startled by the interruption of two heavy pillows hitting his head.

“Get up. Breakfast is almost ready,” Yoh said. He sounded angry. He stood and waited for Ren to emerge from the cocoon of coverings. Ren jumped up out of his bed. He stood facing Yoh angrily, wearing the black t-shirt from the night before.

“You make me sick,” Ren yelled, “Why did you do that? You always have to do or say something to piss me off!” Yoh’s frown quickly faded. He giggled and closed his eyes.

“What now, Yoh?” Ren was incensed.

Yoh turned for the door. As he was opening it he turned and hurled an article of clothing at Ren. “Put on some pants,” he said. “He’s up!” Yoh yelled down the hallway as he closed the door.

Embarrassed, Ren quickly slipped on the white pajama pants Yoh threw at him. “I have to move,” he sighed to himself as he walked to the bathroom.

Downstairs, the Asakura house was busy. Everyone was awake and full of energy. As Ren walked down the staircase, he wondered how he was able to sleep so long with so many people in the house. At the bottom of the stairs he was greeted with a cheerful hello.

“Good morning Ren-sama,” Tamao said and smiled at him. She was in the kitchen helping Anna with breakfast. Hearing Tamao’s greeting gained Anna’s attention and she turned to face the opening.

“Hi Tamao, Anna,” Ren said without the slightest enthusiasm.

“Breakfast will be ready soon; go and sit with the others.” Anna’s reply sounded irritated and she did not look at him.

Ren walked into the sitting room where Horo, Manta, and Ryu were watching television.

“Oh hi, Ren. You’re finally awake,” Manta said to him with a large grin on his face. “Come and sit with us.”

“Hey, Ren. We thought you were dead,” Horo said jokingly.

“Yes, I did not know you could sleep like that,” Ryu said without raising his head. He was watching the show that was on.

“Whatever,” Ren mumbled, “Where’s Yoh?” He looked around into the hallway and back toward the kitchen.

“Oh, I don’t know, haven’t seen him in a while.” Horo looked confused. “Yoh!!!” he screamed but there was no reply.

“I guess he just stepped out,” Manta said. “He’ll be back.”

Horo’s look of confusion quickly turned into an odd stare. Ren saw him and was immediately angry.

“What are you looking at?” Ren barked at him.

“Where did you get that shirt?” Horo stared at it as if he were being hypnotized. His stare was so bizarre that it captured the other two’s attention as well.

Manta stood up and walked closer to Ren. “Have you worn that before? I’ve never seen it. It looks…well, it looks kind of…um” Ren groaned as Manta stumbled over his words.

“You look like a rock star.” Ryu said blankly. There was an eerie silence for a few seconds followed by riotous laughter.

“What are you laughing at?” Ren demanded, “I don’t look like a rock star! It’s just a shirt; I don’t even wear it out of the house. You all are such idiots!” Ren became more infuriated the louder the laughter became.

“It’s a nice shirt, Ren. I like it,” Horo said between laughs, “I just didn’t know you were into that kind of thing!”

“What are you talking about? What kind of thing? It’s just a stupid shirt!” Ren was so angry he pulled the shirt completely off and threw it on the floor.

“Ren,” Anna called behind him. He jumped, startled. He didn’t know she was that close. “Put that shirt back on. You will not be eating with us with a bare chest.” With that she walked back into the kitchen.

Completely frustrated, Ren snatched the shirt from Manta, who had picked it up for him and stormed into the hallway. He was almost back to the staircase when Yoh emerged from beside it.

“Ren, I need to talk to you,” Yoh’s voice was very low and firm.

“Not now, Yoh, I don’t feel like…” Ren started.

“Now.” He turned and disappeared down the hallway beside the stairs.





Again, I apologize for the bombardment. Please read and review it anyway? ;D

[Sayoky]

Whoa....what's up with the shirt?Manta,Horo and Ryu were rude to Ren....they should have known better than laugh at him...poor Ren....XD and what's wrong with Ren eating bear chest??He's sexy XD

[kfttjdb]

sayoky said:

Whoa....what's up with the shirt?Manta,Horo and Ryu were rude to Ren....they should have known better than laugh at him...poor Ren....XD and what's wrong with Ren eating bear chest??He's sexy XD

The shirt is weird to them because it's not his style. Remember, it's the shirt Yukihiro gave him. Her style is...weird. (you'll find out more about that later)
He can't sit at the breakfast table with a bare chest because it is inappropriate. It's Yoh and Anna's house, and he has to respect their rules even though he is an adult. (and she's irritated with him right now)

I hope I've answered your questions. Chapter 4 will be up soon. (and I promise it doesn't stay this boring...)

[Sayoky]

UUUu.....*chibby eyes* i want chapter four.... ;D i can barely wait to read it...and yes,you answered my questions well XD

[Gus]

Wow...

...I know ya told me to be brutally honest, but I can't. I seriously can't find anything wrong with it. This is a really awesome story, yer a great writer. I'd beg for more, but I'm not really in the right position to be telling people to finish stories right now...>>;;

But really, great job! *thumbs UP*

[kfttjdb]

Thank you so much (again) for your comments. I know I apologized for bombarding you with Chapter 3, but I must do it again with Chapter 4. I didn't expect it this fast, so again, I apologize. But don't let it deter you!

Chapter 4:
The Talk

“Yoh, where are you?” Ren called out into the dim hallway, unable to see where he went. He walked slowly, looking into every room along the way.

“I’m in here.” Yoh said faintly from the room at the end of the hallway. Ren followed and slid the door open. He peered inside but saw nothing but darkness. “Come on in,” Yoh said from somewhere in the room. “Close the door behind you.”

Reluctantly, Ren took a few steps inside the doorway and slid the door closed. “Are you going to light a candle or something,” he asked, “I can’t see you.”

“Have a seat,” Yoh said, ignoring his question.

“Have a seat where? I can’t see anything.” Ren began to wave his arms around through the darkness.

“Just lower your body. The floor is beneath you. I guarantee there’s somewhere to sit.” Yoh said with obvious amusement. Ren could hear his voice, but could not figure out where he was in the room. He decided to feel his way to the nearest wall and lean against it. When he did this he sat on the floor.

“So what do you want?” Ren asked, resting his head on the wall.

“I want you to stop what you’re doing with Yukihiro.”

“Yoh, you brought me in here to talk about her?” Ren became upset again.

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Ren could hear Yoh shift his body weight. “You have become a paranoid idiot behind her and none of us like it.”

“Did you just call me an idiot?” Ren narrowed his eyes in an attempt to find him.

“And you weren’t offended that I said you were paranoid?”

“If we must have this conversation, fine, but I can’t see you. Light a candle. It’s annoying me.” Ren scratched his shoulder and then began tapping the floor with his right foot. “And what is this room anyway? Why haven’t I seen it before?”

“This is my special room. It’s the only one in the house where no light passes through during the day. I come here to think, meditate, or just get away from the rest of the house. If you’re silent enough, you can’t hear anything except your own breathing and heartbeat.” Yoh released a deep sigh.

“So what does this have to do with me, or Yukihiro for that matter? Why have you revealed your ‘secret room’?” Ren flinched. Suddenly, Yoh was sitting beside him.

“It’s very hard to lie to yourself when it’s this quiet. Your thoughts are louder than normal.”

“How did you know where I was sitting?”

“I followed your voice. This room is not as big as it seems, Ren. Now stop avoiding the subject at hand and listen to me.” Yoh’s voice became sad.

Ren shifted his body weight to face where he thought Yoh was sitting and crossed his legs. He could only see blackness so he stared blankly ahead.

“Do you have any idea what your problem is?” Yoh asked tensely.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” Ren rolled his eyes.

“Stop that. This is serious, Ren.”

“How did you...?”

“You won’t open yourself up to her. That’s why everything is so awkward. You fight all of the time because you don’t trust her. You don’t trust her because you’re insecure. She tries so hard to make it work with you; we’ve all seen it. But you continue to push her away,” Ren could sense the aggravation in his voice. “Why do you hate her so much?”

“Is that a serious question?” Ren asked. Yoh remained silent. “I don’t hate her. I just don’t understand what she wants with me.”

“Do you hate her company?”

“No.”

“Do you want her to leave you alone?”

Ren hesitated. “No.”

“Well you have to make some changes because that’s exactly what will happen. You’ve been living here for a while now and…” Yoh started.

“So you want me to move out now?” Ren became defensive.

“I didn’t say that. I won’t kick you out without throwing Horo, Pirika or Tamao out too. We said you can stay as long as you want. I brought it up because you’ve become a stranger in the house, distancing yourself from us. I’ll be honest with you; you’re not one of Anna’s favorite people. She knows how much you mean to me so she won’t say anything, but you should know your behavior is a problem.”

“Yoh, I’m not a ten year old and you’re not my father.” Ren suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest.

“I’m not trying to be your father, Ren. Just a friend giving you advice you so desperately need. Listen to me before you screw this up. Do you know why my marriage is successful?” Yoh stood and paced in front of him.

“Because Anna will beat you if you don’t do whatever she wants.” Ren chuckled at the thought.

“Are you serious, Ren? No wonder you can’t make this thing work.” Ren’s smile faded faster than it appeared. “Anna does not boss me around. She did when we were engaged, but that was a different level in our relationship. Our marriage is successful because I listen to her and respect her ideas. She does the same for me. We discuss our problems and never go to bed angry at each other.” Yoh stood behind Ren and placed his hands on his shoulders. “Ren, you will never understand how she thinks. You will never know exactly what she’s thinking or what she wants. But, you have to try to respect her feelings. Women want to be respected. I don’t know if she’s interested in you romantically, but if you don’t make any changes you won’t even have a friend.”

Ren sat silently and pondered Yoh’s comments.

“So, will you at least think about what I said? When you change your attitude toward her it will change in the house and we’ll all be happy!” Yoh hit him hard in the back.

“Yes, I will think about it.”

“Good because she should be here soon.”

“What?!” Ren jumped to his feet and grabbed Yoh’s arm. “Who will be here soon? What are you talking about?”

“Anna invited Yukihiro over for breakfast. She should be here any minute.” Yoh pulled away from Ren and walked to the door. Ren released a devastated moan. As Yoh opened the door, Ren ran past him and fled to his bedroom.

Yoh laughed in amusement. “I guess I should put some clothes on too,” he said to himself.



Thanks again and remember to review!!

[Gus]

Well, the title certainly scared me, but...

...yay, good! And I've just been wondering, how old are they at this point?

[Sayoky]

Wow....the staory has such intensity that it makes you want to read more...it was funy though how Yoh could know where Ren was in that dark room.....and Gus,i have been thinking of their age too....they can't bee too young...since *caugh* Anna sleeps with Yoh *caugh*

[kfttjdb]

You two bring up a good point, though you didn't mean to. I completely forgot to include a synopsis/summary of the story! *holds hand over her face* I'm so sorry! Since I have already posted four chapters of this thing, it's too late. Don't shoot me, it's my first go at it. The characters are in their early 20s except for Pirika, who is a teenager.

Also I must say this because I've been getting this a lot. (because I didn't include a synopsis) For those of you who are expecting this, or may think it may be this way from what you have read, THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY. Seriously. If you think that it is, you will hate me when this is all over. (gosh, I hope I didn't spoil it.)

Chapter 5 up soon! (Actually very soon *cough*)

[KuroiInu]

Gah! I missed a lot being in trouble... ^^'
Once again, a wonderful job, Renna-chan~
I got a kick out of the t-shirt conversation. "You look like... a rock star." XD Poor Ren. I also got a nice chickle out of the three blankets that Ren had. In character right down to their sleeping habits... ^-^
Chapter five as soon as possible, please~